Jak and Daxter: The Dark Child
by thegravityflux
Summary: The war against Erol and the Dark Makers has ended. Jak and his crew have settled down to normal lives in Haven city. However Vin has discovered mysterious energy coming from the ancient dark eco silos far north from Haven City. Could this mean that Jak has to save the world a fourth time? Up to chapter 3 might have a few errors.
1. Life in Haven

So this is my First Fanfic. The first chapter is a little boring. I wanted to establish everyones lives after the war. I promise it will get more exciting as the story progresses.

Please review! I'm going to try and post a chapter each day. I have them all pretty much finished I just need to edit them.

Obviously I don't own Jak and Daxter. If I did, this would be the plot of a 4th game.

Anyway I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

It was overcast day in Haven city as Jak walked to the Naughty Ottsel. He had thought about driving a zoomer, but had decided he would rather walk. As long as it didn't rain he was happy. He had spent so long rushing around the city completing various missions, he didn't mind taking his time.

It was almost five years ago that Jak had been transported to Haven. Two of those years he had spent in prison, the other two were spent fighting wars.

It had been eight months since the Dark Makers had been defeated and the city looked like there had never been a war in the first place. Vin had reprogramed the remaining KG robots to help rebuild the city and robots had made incredible progress. Ashelin, not having to focus on the damaged city, had been working non-stop to try and remodel the tyrannical government system. Her and Torn had organized an election to replace the old council with new non-corrupt members. It was a daunting task but after a few months of hard work they succeeded. Having seen the work that she put in, it was no surprise when the people of Haven elected her as head of council. Before the election, Ashelin had offered Jak a permanent position on the council, thinking of him as the rightful heir. Jak had declined having no interest in politics and not wanting to have to deal with the city's problems.

The crime rate in Haven City was low, mainly due to Torn who had become chief of the Freedom League. The League's main purposeto protect citizens, not to confine them, exactly the opposite of the Krimzon Guard. The League also dealt with the threat of stray Metalheads who were sometimes found outside the city walls.

Keira had opened up a successful mechanic shop. Racing remained the city's favorite form of entertainment, and being as hazardous as it was, it provided Keira with a steady stream of business.

Samos had begun teaching the lost art of Eco Channeling to anyone who was interested. Since the war had ended so had the city's vast need for eco, and as a result a few previously dry eco vents had begun to work. Samos hadn't seen a functioning green eco vent, or even a much more common blue eco vent, since Sandover village. One could imagine his surprise when he received reports that working Green, Blue and even more rare Yellow and Red eco vents had began to work all over Haven. The lack of available eco during the war had caused eco channeling to become a lost art, and now because of the surplus, Samos had decided to change that.

To his disappointment however, Jak had discovered that he could no longer channel the four basic types of Eco. Onin, through her interpreter Pecker, had told him that this was a result of his contamination with dark eco. It upset Jak, and made him long for the adventures back in Sandover, his Light Eco powers being of little condolence.

Jak had gotten far better at controlling his dark side. Unless he was overcome with rage, it was as if he had never been victim to the dark warrior program. The Precursors had done their best to help Jak manage his dark side as a reward for saving the planet. His newfound light eco abilities were also of help, as were the meditation lessons that Samos gave him once a week.

Sig had become king of Spargus and in the same courtesy as Ashelin had offered the throne to Jak. Jak had declined. Though most of Haven City had little if any idea who he was, Spargus was different. The Precursors had celebrated Jak's victory against Erol and the Darkmakers in front of the entire City and whenever Jak returned the people treated him like a god. Jak didn't like the attention, and thus he tried to visit the wasteland as little as possible.

It had just started to rain as Jak reached the Naughty Ottsel. Jak looked out the window as the rain poured down. He was definitely going to take a zoomer home. Jak had gotten a job serving at the Naughty Ottsel. Daxter had remodeled the struggling bar into one of the most popular hangouts in all of Haven. He needed help, and Jak, not being able to find agreeable work elsewhere, had instantly jumped on the job.

Torn had offered Jak a position with the Freedom League's Metalhead division, but Jak needed a break from combat. The truth was that apart from saving the world three times, Jak wasn't really qualified for much. Back in Sandover, when he should have been in school learning, Jak had been traveling across the land to try and help Daxter after his much needed bath.

Anything Jak was qualified in he had refused, not wanting a career in weaponry, combat racing, or defending the city. He had grown tired of these things and wanted a change, a new but mostly less dangerous and stressful adventure. Jak had originally planned to help Samos teach the art of channeling. This however was impossible now that Jak couldn't channel, and he had been crestfallen as a result.

Jak didn't mind serving. Daxter treated him more like an owner and less like an employee. Plus the money wasn't bad; the people of Haven were fairly good tippers. It was always awkward when a traveller from Spargus would visit the bar and see Jak. Thankfully visitors from Spargus were rare.

It was a little known fact that Jak had started going to College. He had decided that he wanted to become an Eco analyst. To do this he needed a college degree, as he lacked any form of formal education. The only people who knew about this were Tess and Daxter. Jak was relatively private and didn't want to tell anyone else. In truth, he was embarrassed.

Jak walked behind the counter, Tess was reorganizing the liquor on the back shelf. The after work rush hadn't started yet and she was using the down time as a chance to clean up. Tess turned around saw Jak and smiled She liked Jak and was thankful that he had accepted Daxter's job offer.

"Hi Jak, how are you" She squealed. Always happy to see the hero.

"Pretty standard" Jak replied, "Exams are coming up soon though and I've never taken one"

"You'll be fine, you've saved the world before I'm sure you can pass a tiny little test"

"I guess you're right" Jak took a deep breath and grabbed his apron from under the bar.

"Where is Daxter" Jak returned to his conversation with Tess.

"I don't know. I think he was meeting with Torn earlier."

Jak returned Tess' answer with confusion. Daxter had never liked Torn. It confused him that they suddenly had met up without him.

"That's weird I didn't know him and Torn talked"

"They don't usually, I think Daxter wanted to see if Torn had found any Metalheads lately. He wants more decorations on the walls"

"That makes sense" Jak replied.

He looked around the bar. The walls were full of Metalhead remains and other questionable decoration. He had no idea where Daxter would fit anything else.

Just then a Freedom League officer walked through the door holding a large steel box. On top of the box sat a proud Daxter.

"I'm home honey, did you miss me" Yelled Daxter

"Of course I did my little sugarplum. Jak and I were just talking about you"

Jak rolled his eyes at Tess' response.

"So Dax, I heard you picked up a few Metalheads from torn. I'm assuming that's what's in the box.

"Oh yea the box" Said Daxter. 'Just put it on the bar"

The guard struggled to put the steel box onto the bar. Daxter remained seated on top of it, not realizing the guards struggle.

"So are they Metalheads?" Jak returned to his question.

"Yea you bet they are buddy. Torn's team got a few of the flying spiders. Who though tattoo face would actually accomplish something without us Jak"

Jak groaned, He had no doubt in Torn's abilities to kick some Metalhead ass.

"So Dax, where are you going to put them? I don't see any room on the walls."

"Oh these aren't for the walls," replied Daxter "these are for the bedroom."

Tess' jaw dropped and having seen her reaction Jak let out a laugh and then decided it was time to get to work.

The after work rush had just begun. It was seven thirty. The Freedom League worked in three, seven-hour shifts. The first starting at five in the morning and ending at twelve. The next shift went from twelve to seven. The final shift, known among guards as the shift from Kor's nest, went from seven in the evening to five in the morning. Most businesses had adjusted their hours to almost match the afternoon shift of the Freedom League, opening at twelve but closing at eight rather than seven. This meant that those officers least had an hour to run errands.

The guards were always the first to arrive at the bar; Jak was friends with a few of them and genuinely enjoyed serving them. They were good company and more often that not, if business was slow, Jak found himself sitting down to a drink with them.

Today turned out to be pretty slow, so Jak sat down with a Beer and joined a group of three guards.

"Hey Jak! Did you hear about the spiders" One of the guards yelled. "Daxter bought them all off us. The little rat must be making a killing of this place. He paid way more than they were worth"

"Torn probably forced him to!" Laughed another guard

"He's probably going to hide them under Torn's bed. Or in his closet" Jak chucked.

"Torn lives in the closet. No way Daxter could get one in there without getting caught" Added the third guard.

The comment took Jak by surprise. He chose not to further pursue assuming that Torn had just been particularly harsh today. Jak thought back to his days dealing with the stone cold ex-KG commander.

"Rough Day?" Jak asked, "Oh wait speak of the devil!"

Torn had just walked into the Naughty Ottsel.

"What are we up to here" Torn sneered at the guards. His voice had only gotten more abrasive as time had passed.

"Just talking to Jak about the Metalheads we got today." The third guard replied.

"You don't deserve to talk to Jak. You three haven't been through shit. Shooting a barely alive Metalhead with my peacemaker and bragging about it might just turn out to be unhealthy" Torn violently replied. "Now get out of my face. I need to talk to Jak."

All three guards moved to a both across the room. Jak gave them a "sorry" look and then returned his attention to torn. He would never admit it but he liked when Torn bragged about his accomplishments.

"So Jak," Torn paused and took a breath before continuing. "I need you for a mission. We discovered the remains of a Dark Maker bot in the pumping station while looking for stray Metalheads. Vin wants to know if there are any salvageable parts that he could study. My men tried to bring it back but it's covered in dark eco."

"I told you I wasn't going out in the field anymore Torn"

"Jak, I know. You're the only one though. The city has no money to spare on special equipment right now."

"Fine I'll do it" Jak sighed

"I'll let you tell that rabid orange rat. I know you can't do anything without him"

"It's probably best" Jak laughed, "Do you want anything to drink in the meantime?"

"Just a beer"

Jak sat up and Torn promptly moved to rest his feet on the now empty chair. He felt bad for being so hard on the guards earlier but he told himself that he had too. A lot of the Freedom League was new and Torn had to forge them into effective warriors. He had to be the same with them as he was with Jak and the stupid rat when they joined the underground. The city was at peace now but Torn wanted his soldiers ready for anything. Torn had been taught to expect the worst

Jak walked up to the bar where he found Daxter mixing drinks and telling stories to a small group of guards. Jak didn't recognize them and he figured that they must have just finished their first shift.

"Hey Jak" Daxter looked up from the cocktail he had just poured. "I was just telling these youngsters about our glory days"

Jak laughed and smiled at the guards. It was funny that Daxter had referred to them as youngsters. The guards were all probably older than both Jak and Daxter. Jak was only nineteen although he looked much older. Two years of torture and another two years of war had aged the poor boy. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties and people treated him the same way. No one had ever really asked Jak his age they just assumed he was as old as he looked. Obviously Daxter knew, as did Keira, but they had both been forced to grow up quickly as well. Not to the same severity as Jak, but still significant.

"Well Dax our glory days aren't over yet. Torn has a task for us"

"Tattoo Face has a what? Are you out of your mind? You and I both agreed that we were going to take a break!"

"Come on Dax. It will be fun."

"Yea you're right" Daxter took a deep breath before yelling at the top of his lungs "The demolition duo is back baby"

Torn heard Daxter loud and clear and couldn't help but smile.


	2. The Return

Hi everyone,

Sorry this is late. I made a few changes to the story so I'm going to have to rewrite a few chapters. This is the last boring chapter. After this it gets a lot more exciting I promise.

If you read it, please leave me a review. I'd like to know that I'm not just posting things for no one to read.

If there is anything that you think I should change, or that I could do that would make the story more enjoyable for you please tell me.

Thank you to the anonymous reviewer, and thank you ScreamGirl4998 for the sub!

Once again, I promise this is the last boring chapter and please please review.

Thanks and enjoy!

* * *

Work went by fairly slowly for Jak. The thought of being sent on another mission excited him. He was also happy that it was going to be relatively easy.

During the war Jak had broken and bruised his body time after time again. Thankfully the underground always had just enough green eco capsules to get him back on his feet and Jak never stayed injured for long.

He also recently learned that he could heal himself with light eco. Sadly light eco wasn't common in Haven City so Jak often only used the green eco, saving his light eco for other things. Green eco didn't work nearly as well, but it got the job done.

After what had felt like an eternity the night had finally ended. Jak wasted no time in kicking out the few drunken stragglers who were too intoxicated to notice that the bar was closing.

"Hey Dax!" Jak yelled across the now empty bar. "I'm heading home I need some sleep. I'll pick you up at twelve tomorrow ok"

"Sure thing buddy Orange Lightening will be ready for action." Replied Daxter flexing his arms.

"You're so brave and strong" chimed in Tess, before jumping into Daxter's arms.

That was Jak's cue to leave. As he turned away from the couple he was surprised to see Torn still sitting in a booth.

"Torn we're closed. What are you still doing here?" Asked Jak.

"I don't know. I lost track of time I guess"

"Leading the Freedom League is stressing you out. I guess you don't have the shadow to tell you what to do anymore." Jak teased.

There was no change in the redhead's stern expression.

"Shut up Jak"

"We're closed commander laryngitis" Shouted Daxter.

"I'm going to do what Krew should have and make you into a fur coat" quipped back Torn as he got out from the booth.

"Hey Jak, do you want a ride home" He said before leaving.

Jak looked outside, noticing that it was still raining.

"Yea. Thanks Torn."

Torn's HellCat was parked right outside the Bar., covered from the rain by the awning. Ashelin and Torn had the few remaining KG HellCats repainted to match the Freedom League's blue uniforms.

Jak wondered to himself why none of the zoomers had roofs. For a city that had as much rain as Haven, one would have thought that vehicles with roofs would be commonplace. He hoped in and Torn pulled away. The rest of the ride was silent.

"Well here you are." Torn said as he pulled up to Jak's apartment building.

"Thanks Torn. And hey, is everything alright with you?"

"Yea I'm fine." Replied Torn, wearing the same stern expression as before.

"Ok good. Thanks Again for the ride"

Jak hopped out of the HellCat and ran into his building. Jak wanted his bed and to be out of the rain, he didn't notice Torn waited until after he entered his building before pulling away.

Torn wasn't fine. He was stressed, more stressed than he had been during the underground movement. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out from under his seat and stuck one in between his lips. Keeping his left hand on the wheel, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a lighter.

Torn hadn't smoked since he had been under the baron's command. Most of the Krimzon Guard had smoked. It was a way of handling the pressure and stress that was put on them. He had only started smoking again a few days ago. He kept it secret from his friends though, he knew they wouldn't approve and would see it as a sign of weakness.

Torn couldn't help but think that the peace in Haven City, was just the calm before the storm.

All Torn new was war. Metalheads had killed both his parents back when he was only a few years old. Torn had grown up living in an orphanage in the slums. As soon as he reached the minimum age of sixteen, Torn had signed up to be a member of the Krimzon Guard. He was assigned Erol as his superior. Erol took an instant disliking to Torn, sending him on suicide missions whenever he could.

However Torn had always made it back alive, and Baron Praxis had begun to notice this. Torn soon became a commander after having a major role in the successful exiling of King Damas.

However as soon as Baron Praxis took hold of the city Torn realized the Baron's nefarious ways and quit the KG to join to underground.

Torn had thought he was doing the right thing at the time. Praxis had brainwashed him into thinking that Damas was the enemy. Yet he would never be able to forgive himself. He also hoped that Jak would never find out.

The nineteen year old fascinated Torn. Jak never seemed to be worried or scared. He was always confidant, courageous, and brave. Leading the underground Torn always had to seem unfazed, but hadn't been authentic, he was always worried and scared. Jak seemed authentic, and this fascinated Torn.

As Torn drove home, he remembered when he had first met Jak. The kid had taken down an entire building, how could Torn not be impressed. Torn smiled to himself and for a moment he wasn't as stressed.

Jak took the elevator up to his apartment. Outside of the Slums, rent in Haven City was expensive, so Jak had settled for a small apartment on the Port. He liked being near the water. Falling asleep to the sound of water reminded him of his days back in Sandover. He missed hanging out at the beach with Daxter and Keira. He missed running across the old bridges in the forbidden forest. He missed climbing the cliffs at geyser rock and jumping into the ocean below.

Jak unlocked his apartment and jumped straight into bed. He didn't bother to take off his clothes. He laid in bed listening to the sounds of the Port, thinking about tomorrow's mission. Despite what he had told himself, he missed going on adventures. He missed the adrenalin and excitement. What he missed most though was being distracted. Out in the field, Jak didn't have time to think about anything other than survival. Although Jak had accomplished so much, he felt empty. He had been so busy saving the world that he hadn't had anytime to be a teenager. Remaining in bed Jak removed his clothes and threw them on the floor. His lean, muscular body was marked with hundreds of scars, the most notable being the violet streaks across his chest, a result of the dark warrior program. He turned out the lamp beside his bed and fell asleep.

Jak didn't own much and his apartment showed this. His walls were bare, apart from the seal of Mar pendant hanging above his bed, and a picture of him and Daxter. Under his bed he kept his remaining skull gems and a few precursor orbs. His clothes were messily thrown in a wooden chest at the foot of his bed, his chest ring and backpack placed carefully on top. There was small closet in the corner of his room where he kept his armor and morph gun. Jak's kitchen wasn't anymore decorated than his bedroom, having no more than the essentials. Jak rarely used his kitchen, choosing to eat at the Naughty Ottsel instead.

Jak's alarm went off at eleven. Even though he had been too excited to get a good sleep, Jak woke up feeling energized. He put on his beige pants, brown wrap, and blue vest. Jak used to wear a blue jacket, having felt self conscious about the scars on his writs from the shackles in prison. He had found though that the sleeves limited his movement, and Mar's wrist guards hid the scars well. Jak slipped on his combat boots and walked over to his closet. He carefully secured each piece of Mar's armor. He then grabbed his Morph gun, checking to make sure that he had enough ammo before he attached it to his backpack. Jak thought about taking the Hoverboard but decided against it. He secured his backpack using his chest ring, and rushed out the door.

Jak's zoomer was parked behind his apartment building. It had taken Ashelin and Keira some time to teach him that he couldn't just grab a random zoomer. During the war everyone had given this a blind eye, however afterwards it had become a bit of a problem. Jak had bought himself the fastest single seat zoomer. Daxter was the only person who Jak drove, and since Daxter sat on his shoulder he didn't need an extra seat. Jak preferred speed to size.

He hopped on his zoomer and sped off. Jak had always been a crazy driver, usually refusing to use the brake at his destination; instead hopping out of his vehicle at the last minute before it crashed. Now that he had his own zoomer he was a little bit more careful.

Jak reached the Naughty Ottsel a few minutes early, hopping that Daxter would have something he could eat for breakfast. Sure enough, as if Daxter knew his friend wouldn't have eaten, he walked out of the Naughty Ottsel with a bag of food in hand. It was testaments to how well the two new each other.

"You would starve without me," said Daxter as he hopped on Jak's shoulder

"Yea I would, wouldn't I?" Jak responded, rolling his eyes.

"What would you do without me?" muttered Daxter, hanging on for dear life as Jak sped off.


	3. Missing

Sorry about the delay. I'm moving into a new apartment next week so I've been pretty busy packing everything up.

Thank you to my two reviewers and thanks to MorikoTheHalfAnel for following and favoriting!

If there is anything you'd like me to add to the story or any ideas for it please share with me!

This chapter is a little more exciting thankfully. The story is just getting started. This is going to be a long one kids. I'll post much more frequently I promise.

Once again please review! I'll give you 90 precursor orbs for it!

Jak hadn't been to the pumping station since defeating Kor. When he arrived, he was surprise by how run down it had become. It was barely recognizable. Most of the beach had been stained by dark eco and was littered with scraps of metal.

"Torn said that the Dark Maker bot was just to the left of the beach" said Jak

"Why does Tattoo face need us to look at it? Couldn't he just get Samos to destroy it with his breath?" Daxter snapped back.

Jak laughed. There were only a few people that Daxter didn't like. Torn, Samos, and Pecker. Although Jak didn't agree with how Daxter felt, he always listening to his complaints and

"He thinks Vin might be able to use some of the parts. None of his men were able to deal with the Dark Eco so it's up to us."

"Yea, well he better give me a foot rube. I thought I was finished having to stand on your armor. Nothing against you Jak, but precursor metal isn't comfy and you haven't started wearing a chair on your shoulder.

Jak ignored Daxter and began to search for the Bot. Daxter scurried to catch up with him. There weren't any Metalheads around. Jak assumed Torn's men had cleared them all out the day before.

"Remember when we came here with Sig, Jak?"

"Yea, I,"

Suddenly Jak stopped. He had just turned around the cliff and had come face to face with the Bot.

"Torn really wasn't kidding when he said it was just around the ledge was he"

"I don't think Mr. Stone Cold ever jokes. I don't think he knows how"

Jak laughed. Mr. Stone Cold was one of Daxter's new nicknames for Torn and Jak actually liked this one. There was something about Torn's indifferent and honest attitude that Jak liked. He felt like he could trust Torn and hoped that Torn felt the same way about him. Torn definitely did trust Jak as solider, but Jak wanted to be trusted like a friend.

"Jak, are you there" Daxter yelled.

"What?" Jak answered, returning to reality.

"You ok buddy? You weren't doing anything. I was worried the Bot was doing some Dark Eco stuff to you"

"No, I was just thinking. It's all good Dax"

Jak focused his attention on the Dark Maker bot. Thoughts about Torn could wait.

It was the same type of Bot that Jak had controlled on the Dark Maker ship. It was a lot bigger than he had expected though, looking about three meters tall. The Bot looked relatively undamaged. There were a few scratches down the front face and it looked like a few pieces of the armor were missing. Drips of dark eco were scattered all over the surface, like grass wet with dew.

As Jak reached to tear the front of the bot, the dark eco lifted from the surface and rushed towards him. At first absorbing dark eco had been painful, but over time Jak and grown numb and rarely noticed. Jak had thought that he might have had to summon his dark side to tear off the armor, but it lifted effortlessly.

"I'd like to see Torn's face when you tell him this Jak. He's going to be even more unhappy than usual."

Jak stood stunned. The inside of the bot was completely empty. The only thing inside the bot was what looked like three strands of long white hair. There were no signs that the bot had been scavenged. There where no damaged wires, or broken ecotronics. The bot looks as though it had just been an empty shell.

"It must had been dispatched like this." muttered Jak. "No wonder it's in such good condition, it wasn't used."

"Well whatever happened it ain't our problem now. Let's get home. Tess is probably missing her sugar" replied Daxter as he brushed his hands through his fur.

Jak rolled his eyes, giving Daxter a gentle flick to the side of the head.

"So Dax, should we radio Torn now, or just tell him in person?"

"How about you deal with tattoo face, and then tell me about it after."

"You sure you don't want to come see his reaction buddy?" Jak teased.

"Nope. Commander laryngitis isn't been when we've succeeded. I don't want to see him now that we've failed. In his words it might be unhealthy for me"

Jak laughed. Daxter had a point. Torn never liked Daxter, and if it wasn't for his relationship with Tess, Torn would have probably tried to turn the little guy into a bathmat. Jak would never let that happen, but he didn't want to actually have to prevent it.

"Yea it's probably best if I go. Should I drop you off at the bar" Jak asked.

"You know it." Replied Daxter tapping Jak on the head with his hand.

Jak ran back to the city's security door. The first door opened and Jak walked inside as it closed behind him. It took a while for the second door to recognize his security pass, but soon enough the oversize bolt began to turn.

"Glad to see you're still alive"

Jak smiled. Ashelin had never gotten around to asking Vin to reprogram the welcome. She believed that the old welcome was far too pessimistic. Outside the city's shield was dangerous but it was much improved and Ashelin wanted to remind the citizens of this every chance she had. Jak liked the greeting and had asked Ashelin not to change it. It reminded him of the adventures he and Daxter had and how much they had gotten through together.

Jak's zoomer was parked directly outside the inner door. He ran towards it and jumped on, pressing the chrome start button. The zoomer's engine roared to life and Jak sped off, Daxter hanging on for dear life.

After nearly hitting a few pedestrians and almost rear-ending a hover car Jak reached the Naughty Ottsel. Daxter was amazed how much better Jak's driving had gotten. During the war Jak had almost totaled a zoomer each time he used one, Dax smiled thinking how may insurance claims Jak had caused.

'Thanks for the ride sidekick"

Jak rolled his eyes.

"See you at work tonight Dax"

Jak sped off, on his way to meet Torn.

The Freedom League headquarters were in the palace, and that was where Torn spent most of his days. Jak almost felt sorry for the guy. Once a great field agent and tactical commander, Torn now spent his days sitting through meetings and sifting through paper work. At least that was what Jak assumed Torn did. He had never visited him at work, instead mostly hanging with him at the Naughty Ottsel.

Jak reached the palace and flashed his black security pass. The guard at the gate was stunned for a moment before he waved Jak through. The black pass was the highest level of security clearance, and only three people in Haven had one, Ashelin, Torn and Jak.

Jak parked his zoomer in front of the entrance and walked inside. The new palace was significantly smaller then the one during Praxis' rule. It was only three stories tall, and apart from the lush gardens surrounding the building, nothing stood apart from the other buildings in Haven city.

Jak followed the blue arrow-shaped signs pointing in the direction of the Freedom League head office. The head office was down a hallway beside the main foyer. Jak walked in, ignoring the black haired secretary playing some card game on her computer.

Torn's office was easy to find. It was the at the very end of the office and had a Freedom League symbol neatly carved into the door.

Not bothering to knock Jak swung the door open.

Torn, in shock, jumped out of his chair hitting his knee on the underside of his desk in the process.

"Fuck." Snarled Torn. "You could have given me some warning"

"Sorry. I didn't think I had to treat you like my superior anymore. That war ended a while ago."

"Sit down smart ass" Torn replied, gesturing to a black yakkow leather chair in front of the desk. "How did your little mission go"

"That's what I'm here for. We opened the bot and there was nothing inside apart from a few hairs. It was an empty shell"

"My men found one like that just outside of Haven forest. I bet someone is scavenging them and trying to sell it as precursor technology. I'll have my guards search the bazaar"

"Sounds like a good plan" Jak responded. Torn had taken the news much better than he had though. "I'll see you at the bar tonight Torn?"

"Yea you will"

Jak got up to leave, and just when he was about to open the door, Torn spoke up again.

"Hey Jak, I don't see you much anymore. Want to do lunch or something sometime and catch up?"

The comment took Jak by surprise. He didn't think that Torn ever did anything besides hangout at the bar and work.

"Uh Yea sure that'd be nice"

"Golden" Torn replied with a smile. "Just don't bring that rabid orange rat along with you"

"I won't" Jak said as he walked out of the office. Even though it hadn't been their fault, Jak had thought that Torn would still have been annoyed with him and Daxter for the failed mission. Torn had a bit of an attitude whenever something didn't go his way or work out how he had planned. Jak remembered when Torn found out that Baron Praxis had caught him and Daxter snooping around the palace.

Jak assumed that Torn was probably more relaxed now than he was during the war and was a little more laid back.

Yet as Jak closed the door, Torn sunk his head into his hands.

"Fuck." He muttered under his breath. He had more important things to worry about than Vin's ability to research the Dark Makers.

Seem had recently contacted him about a missing adolescent from Spargus. A child from her orphanage had gone missing a few months ago, and no one in the wasteland had any leads yet. She had contacted the Freedom League in hopes that they would be able to help. Torn had an idea who the child was, and that made him unwilling to help.

He took the file Seem had sent him off his desk and tucked it away at the bottom of his drawer. If the boy were whom he thought, it would be for the best if he were missing Torn thought. No one else seemed to have any idea who the child might be, and Torn didn't plan on enlightening anyone. Nothing good would come from that, and Torn liked to keep his thoughts to himself anyway.

"Probably would have just turned out like his father" Torn sighed as he got up from his desk to get a cup of coffee. He thought about sneaking out for a cigarette but decided against it. Jak might be still hanging around the palace and Torn didn't want to bump into him, cig in mouth.

However, Jak didn't stay at the palace. He checked the time on his communicator. It was just after 1pm and Jak's classes started in 30 minutes. If he drove quickly he might just be able to stop at his apartment to grab his books and still make it to school on time. Jak jumped on his zoomer and floored it out of the parking lot. He didn't wait for the guard to open the palace gate, and instead pulled the zoomer up and jumped over. The guard stood in awe as Jak sped off, diving, and swerving through the traffic.

Jak reached his apartment and checked his communicator. He still had 15 minutes to get to school. Jak jumped off the zoomer, leaving it in gear, he wouldn't be too long. After about a minute Jak ran out the front door and hopped back on the zoomer. He couldn't remember if he had locked his door, but he didn't have time to check. Despite the midday traffic, Jak made it to school on time.

Back at the palace while Torn was still debating whether or not to have a smoke, Ashelin was meeting with Vin. Vin's new body, or lack there off, forced him to communicate through the EIC, or Eco Imaging Communicators. Ashelin sat at one side of the table, while Vin's head floated above a small black EIC.

"So Vin what's the matter. I've had a busy day and I don't have time to waste if you're just lonely"

"No I'm, well I am lonely sometimes but that's not the point. But if you want to talk a little sometime, or maybe pay me a visit. That would be nice." Vin rambled on

"Cut to the point" Ashelin slammed her fist against the table.

Vin jumped, and the communicator cut out for a few seconds.

"Ok so I've been monitoring the Eco Grids. Our cities Eco use is heavily declining and Eco activity is increasing in all surrounding areas"

"That's good isn't it?" Ashelin cut Vin off. " I still don't see the point of this meeting"

'Well, you see" Vin stuttered. "There has been a significant increase in Dark Eco activity far north by the ancient silos. It's an abnormal increase"

"So is this something we need to investigate?" Ashelin questioned. She had serious doubts about Vin's ability to analyze the severity of a situation. The man had jumped into the Eco Grid before the Metalheads had even reached the power station.

"Well I was hoping I could send a few of the remaining KG robots to investigate."

"Yes, that sounds reasonable. I'll tell the council I gave you permission. Anything else Vin?"

"No, but maybe if you just want to stay and talk for a"

Ashelin powered down the communicator. Vin was a nice guy, but she wasn't going to procrastinate work for him. Jak on the other hand, well she would resign to spend some time with that boy. Even since they had kissed after defeating the Dark Makers Jak and her and grown more and more distant.

Ashelin decided that it might be a good idea to tell Torn about Vin's discovery and left her office to go find the commander.


	4. Bruised

Sorry that this has taken so long. I bought an apartment and renovated my kitchen, and then school has just been crazy.  
Everything has settled down now so hopefully updates will be more common. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and followed this! It is what is keeping me going!

Please Please review.

Thank you and enjoy!

Ashelin walked into the KG office, ignoring the secretary who had stood up to greet the governor.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Praxis. Is there someone who you would like me to page?"

"I'll do it myself" Replied Ashelin.

She thought the secretary was pointless; she had replaced the council's secretary with a reprogramed KG robot yet for some reason Torn didn't follow. Maybe Torn just liked looking at the girl, thought Ashelin.

Unlike Jak, Ashelin knocked before swinging the door open.

"What do you want? I have shit to do"

"Let's just remember who's your superior Torn. I'm not exactly on vacation here either."

"Sorry Ash." Torn's apology didn't sound sincere in the slightest. He had always struggled with Ashelin being his superior. He hated not being in charge.

"What do you need to talk about?"

"I was meeting with Vin and he informed me of excessive eco activity far North. He's sending a team of repurposed KG robots to check it out."

Torn's expression remained in his signature frown.

"What does that have to do with my Freedom League squads? We have enough to deal with."

"I thought you might like to be kept updated. The war is over now anyway Torn." Ashelin leaned over onto his desk. "You can relax now commander. That's an order."

Ashelin left the office without waiting for a reply. She didn't want to deal with Torn anymore. He was one of her closest friends but lately he had been unusually uptight. He had started to smell like tobacco again. Ashelin had thought about bringing up his smoking problem but had decided that nothing good would come out of it. She'd give Torn a few more weeks to work himself out, if there was no change then she would step in.

Torn remained at the Office later than usual that night. He reached in his pocket for a cigarette, but to his disappointment the package was empty. Torn stood up and grabbed his jacket off of the back of his chair, knocking over a pile of files off his desk. As he kneeled down to pick them up, a shadow moved by the small crack at the bottom of the office door. That's weird thought Torn. All the Freedom League office workers should have already gone home.

"He said the file would be locked in the safe here"

Torn remained hidden under his desk. He didn't recognize the voice.

"We need to find it. We can't have them looking for him" rasped another voice that Torn couldn't recognize.

"It's not in any of these cabinets." The first voice spoke angrily.

Torn grabbed his knife he kept strapped to his thigh. There were hundreds of files in those cabinets; it would not have been possible for the burglars to have already sorted through all of them.

"Check the office." Ordered the second voice.

Still crouched under the desk Torn swore at himself for taking Ashelin's advice and not carrying a blaster at work. Torn got up from under the desk and hid beside the door. He heard the doorknob turn, and as the door opened Torn lunged at the burglar dagger in hand.

Yet the burglar was faster, and he grabbed Torn's wrist before he could land a strike. The burglar twisted Torn's arm behind his back. Torn winced in pain.

"What the fuck do you think your doing?" Yelled Torn.

"Nothing that you need to worry about" Said the intruder holding Torn in an arm lock.

"We should kill you now" Said the second as he walked into the office. "But I think it will be more fun for you to die with the others." He began to go through Torn's desk before he turned to face Torn and his accomplice. "Valac deal with this Freedom League scum."

Torn didn't recognize either of the two men's voices. They were both wearing a black robes, with a purple masks covering their face. The leader of the two was wearing dark blue gloves, and had short white hair sticking out from the back of his mask. The accomplice was slightly taller than Torn and had dark brown hair.

"As you wish sir"

Torn tried to struggle out of Valac's grip but failed. Valac raised his hand to the side of Torn's face.

"This might leave a mark." Valac laughed.

His hand began to grow a dark purple color. Bolts of dark eco began to shoot out stinging Torn's face. Torn clenched his jaw and gave one last failed attempt to free himself of Valac's grip. Not wanting to risk losing his grip, Valac slammed his hand into the side of Torn's head.

Torn screamed. It felt like his face was being ripped apart. His body began to spasm and vomit leaked out of him mouth. Torn then lost consciousness and collapsed on the ground, a small purple mark remaining where Valac's hand had made contact.

Torn awoke, with no idea where he was, lying in a pool of his own vomit. He stood up and rushed to the washroom. Using some wet paper towels Torn wiped his face clean. He looked at himself in the mirror. He had a small bruise on the side of his head. He couldn't really remember what had happened. He must have smoked too much and passed out. He wasn't sure if that was even possible but that seemed like the only reasonable explanation. He checked his pocket for his pack of cigarettes. It was empty.

"That must have been what happened." Torn told himself, looking at his bruise in the mirror.

Torn looked checked the time on his communicator. It was 1 in the morning; he could still make it to the Naughty Ottsel for a drink. Torn definitely needed a drink and a break from smoking.

Torn thought about taking his HellCat but decided that after the previous events it would be better to walk.

His face was throbbing. He had been bruised countless times before but it had never hurt this much. Torn stopped walking, and in a sudden attempt to support himself leaned on a hover car parked on the side of the road. He felt awful. Struggling to stay balanced, Torn abruptly lurched over, launching dark purple vomit all over the car. Disgusted, Torn pushed himself upright and backed up.

Torn didn't know why his vomit had been purple. All he knew was that he suddenly felt better. "Must have been some weird food reaction in my stomach" Torn muttered to himself continuing his journey to the Naughty Ottsel.

"Hey Dax" shouted Jak across the bar.

"What's up Jakky boy? Daxter replied, scurrying to his friend's side

"Have you seen Torn tonight? He's usually here by now"

"Jak" now standing on the bar, Daxter placed a hand on Jak's shoulder. "Any day when the tattooed wonder doesn't show up is a blessing. I'm sure I've scared him away by now any…"

Daxter's comments were cut short as the bar doors unexpectedly swung open revealing Torn, who head straight for the bar.

"I'll have the usual Jak"

"Sure thing bud. What happened to your face, you have a pretty big bruise. You know the fight for the city is over right?" Jak joked.

"He probably looked in the mirror and got punched by his reflection" Laughed Daxter.

"Hit myself opening a door" Torn slurred, "No big deal"

"Wait Torn" Jak's smile faded into a glare. "That's not a bruise."

In a panic, Jak untied his apron and rushed out from behind the bar grabbing Torn's face to examine the purple marl.

"Fuck Torn. Someone call Samos"


End file.
